iOS 5 will include a proprietary chat client dubbed iMessage for iOS-to-iOS chat and sharing of media, a system not unlike Research in Motion's BlackBerry Messenger.

The new iMessage application is based on the same push technology developed in-house by Apple and previously used for application notifications, as well as push e-mail and contacts. It, along with Apple's FaceTime video chat standard, internally uses an IM-like system to deliver messages and notifications.

iMessage replaces the existing native Messages application on the iPhone, allowing for both Apple's proprietary iMessages as well as traditional text messages to be sent and received.

It also marks the debut of a native messaging client for the iPad and iPod touch. With iMessage, users of all iOS 5 devices will be able to chat with one another.

Because no phone number is associated with devices like the iPad and iPod touch, the iMessage client will work much like FaceTime currently does on those devices, and will be linked to an e-mail address. In addition, without access to a phone number, an iPad or iPod touch will not be able to send traditional text messages; that capability remains an iPhone-only feature.

Wireless carriers were said to have been caught off guard by Apple's announcement of iMessage this week. Fees associated with text messaging and MMS sending of pictures and videos are a very profitable component of the wireless business for carriers.

Of course iMessage is not limited solely to text, as users can also share video and pictures with other iMessage users. Traditional MMS functionality was a feature that iPhone users originally waited more than two years to gain access to in the U.S., as AT&T didn't enable the feature until September of 2009.

With Apple's new iMessage, when something is sent to another iMessage user, the status of the message is made available with confirmation of sending, receiving and reading. In addition to knowing when the person on the other end has viewed the message, users can also see when the person they're talking to is typing, much like with desktop-style instant messaging clients like iChat and AIM.

The native application also differentiates between iMessages and traditional text messages with a grayed out indicator in the entry box. Before a user begins to type, the system informs them whether the message they are sending is a "Text Message" or "iMessage."

Traditional text messages and iMessages can also be quickly differentiated based on a color scheme adopted by Apple. When a text message is sent, it is displayed in a green bubble, as usual. But iMessages are seen in a light blue bubble. Received iMessages and text messages are always displayed in gray.

For now, in the first beta issued to developers this week, iMessage has some issues, as messages are often not sent or received. But Apple has plenty of time to work out the kinks, as iOS 5 is not set to become available to end users until this fall.

iOS will include 200 new user features and 1,500 new application programming interfaces for developers. The free update will be available for the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch (fourth generation), and iPod touch (third generation). For more on iOS 5, see the rest of AppleInsider's ongoing Inside iOS 5 series, with individual stories included below:

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Inside Apple's move to open up SMS-style messaging to not-mobile clients

Apple seems to be making it more and more difficult for families to share one iTunes account, or is the email address referred to here separate from the iTunes account email address? I really hope they have a solution for multiple users on one account because it is not going to be feasible to scale up with all of these different services being based on one account.

Apple seems to be making it more and more difficult for families to share one iTunes account, or is the email address referred to here separate from the iTunes account email address? I really hope they have a solution for multiple users on one account because it is not going to be feasible to scale up with all of these different services being based on one account.

What exactly do you lose by the kids having their own iTunes accounts? As I understand it you can have a device authorized for two accounts at once anyway, so you can have a single family account for app purchases etc, and individual accounts for iMessage/facetime/whatever.

I actually have two iTunes accounts, one for the UK itunes store and one for the US - it's not that big an inconvenience.

Whether they open it up or not, Im really glad to have a REAL alternative to SMS! Meaning: one that uses the same old app you use to contact non-iOS people. Nothing to think about, install, learn or sign up for. Just use the Messages app for everyone, and enjoy the fact that its free when the other end is on iOS too.

(Ill never pay for a text plan on principle. Sometimes I even disable SMS receiving! Meebo and email do the job for me for now.)

Apple seems to be making it more and more difficult for families to share one iTunes account, or is the email address referred to here separate from the iTunes account email address? I really hope they have a solution for multiple users on one account because it is not going to be feasible to scale up with all of these different services being based on one account.

There is something called Home Sharing in iTunes. Look into it. Beside, your iTunes/App Store can be different from your FaceTime and iMessage accounts.

Apple seems to be making it more and more difficult for families to share one iTunes account, or is the email address referred to here separate from the iTunes account email address? I really hope they have a solution for multiple users on one account because it is not going to be feasible to scale up with all of these different services being based on one account.

I just don't see any of these iOS devices it's been made for multiple users. In fact they don't have user accounts. I think they are too personal for being considered as a multiple user device. Maybe the iPad could gain a user account feature, but that could happen just when the capacity reach 128GB or more and the processors could be more powerful. By now they are completely personal devices.

Wireless carriers were said to have been caught off guard by Apple's announcement of iMessage this week. Fees associated with text messaging and MMS sending of pictures and videos are a very profitable component of the wireless business for carriers.

o rly?

Something else that's profitable for carriers? Minutes. Can't wait for iCall to show up in the Phone app and a corresponding iCall app to show up on wi-fi only iOS devices. It's the logical next step. The awesome part of that would be that if you're on wifi you don't have to use your minutes you were only hanging onto for calling non-iOS devices. And the iPod touch might become Gruber's new phone

You did not come into the world to fail. You came into the world to succeed.

If text messages are just data and voice/VOIP is just data, why not call a duck a duck. The final straw for Apple eating the carriers' collective lunch will be when Apple becomes an MVNO. Then they'll be pitting the physical carriers in a bidding war against each other: Apple takes their cut, the customer still gets a price break, and only the carriers cry. I mean, if that happened, Apple could subsidize the phones themselves out of their cut, and the carriers couldn't say boo about sim-less or world mode phones. Lalala

From the beginning of Facetime Apple stated the intention for it to be an open protocol, though the API's are not yet available. Its likely Apple is holding the API's to make sure the system will be stable and not crash when it has hundreds of millions of users.

Apple seems to be making it more and more difficult for families to share one iTunes account, or is the email address referred to here separate from the iTunes account email address? I really hope they have a solution for multiple users on one account because it is not going to be feasible to scale up with all of these different services being based on one account.

I sure hope so. I'm finding myself missing iMessages when on the Mac. It's just so seamless.

I also hope they integrate FaceTime into iMessages. Not a fan of the two separate apps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenoBell

From the beginning of Facetime Apple stated the intention for it to be an open protocol, though the API's are not yet available. Its likely Apple is holding the API's to make sure the system will be stable and not crash when it has hundreds of millions of users.

Is that better?

I think there are some major security hurdles with FaceTime being open.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

The way I think it works is that Apple's FaceTime servers securely verify and handshake between both parties. You need only an email address to connect to a user, not a phone number.

As the party initiating FaceTime you obviously call back to the server, which sends a request to other party if it's on the network. The security part comes in here, with Apple's servers knowing the IP address of the other party because of a hidden "push notification" that got the request and sent back the IP address so both parties can be directly connected for real time A/V with QoS.

At least, that's how I think it works. If it is then being open to allow any server to use an email address to get your IP address is a security issue. If it not, and Apple's servers are between each and every FaceTime video chat then it can't really be open if Apple has to remain the middle man for any and all users.

The only way I can see this working is not being "open" in the sense that Android users expect services to be open, but instead using open standards so that Apple's FaceTime servers can act like a telco whereby you an AT&T phone can call a Verizon phone or even to another country's telco.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

At least, that's how I think it works. If it is then being open to allow any server to use an email address to get your IP address is a security issue. If it not, and Apple's servers are between each and every FaceTime video chat then it can't really be open if Apple has to remain the middle man for any and all users.

Regarding the openess of iMessage protocols, hadn't Daniel Eran Dilger already explained here that it is based on XMPP? or was he wrong? He concluded that that would enable integration of iMessage into iChat.

Thank you for the link. It helps... somewhat. In that process you still share App data and Game Center account among your family members. Not an ideal situation. But if we can just share iTunes purchases like music, movies, and books among multiple Apple IDs, it would be perfect.

Because no phone number is associated with devices like the iPad and iPod touch, the iMessage client will work much like FaceTime currently does on those devices, and will be linked to an e-mail address. In addition, without access to a phone number, an iPad or iPod touch will not be able to send traditional text messages; that capability remains an iPhone-only feature.

But there IS a phone number associated with an iPad if it's subscribed to a cellular data plan. This would indicate to me that it's possible for it to have SMS capability. Has anyone with the developer beta tried this?

But there IS a phone number associated with an iPad if it's subscribed to a cellular data plan. This would indicate to me that it's possible for it to have SMS capability. Has anyone with the developer beta tried this?

While there is a phone number associated with your account if you have an iPhone, it serves ONLY as a username to send iMessages to. You cannot send or receive SMS messages on the Messages app on the iPad.

Also, you don't need a phone number assigned to a device that pulls only data from the network. iPads do not have phone numbers associated with them.